


An Unknowing Choice

by bokufoot



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Love, Love Triangles, Shiratorizawa, Unrequited Love, tendou ily but you will be hurt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28624782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bokufoot/pseuds/bokufoot
Summary: (gender neutral reader)(name) didn’t really know what to expect when joining Shiratorizawa’s volleyball team as the new manager, but what they got was more than they could have imagined. Tendou and Ushijima, nearly polar opposites, both take an interest in them and the three quickly become close, though what it turns into is not what (name) had ever intended.
Relationships: Tendou Satori/Reader, Ushijima Wakatoshi & Reader, Ushijima Wakatoshi/Reader
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

(name) tapped their desk with their pen, chewing on the inside of their cheek, deep in thought. Shiratorizawa was a school well known for their athletics department, specifically volleyball, as well as their academic rigor. After studying for months and passing the entrance exam, (name) was accepted into the school based on their grades, which was a point of pride for them. That being said, it made having to pick a club a lot harder. Most people either stuck with the sport that got them into the school in the first place or joined a culture club that seemed interesting. For (name), neither of those options really worked out. They had joined the calligraphy club their first year of highschool because one of their friends did the same. However, that friend was a lot more outgoing than (name) and quickly grew close with other members of the club, while (name), who was a bit less of a social butterfly, was stuck feeling like they were merely watching in from the outside. Not to mention, calligraphy wasn’t really their strong suit either. 

While the idea of quitting a club and finding a whole new one to join wasn’t the most appealing, as it wasn’t something people often did, being stuck doing shitty calligraphy for two more years wasn’t either, so (name) was left with the dilemma of what club to join instead. 

(name) stood up from their desk, stretching their arms and yawning. It was already the second week of school, so they felt like they should hurry up and make a decision, but no ideas crossed their mind. Whatever club they picked this time would be what they would be stuck with for the rest of high school, so the pressure to make a better decision than last time was high.  
“Let me take one last look at the bulletin board outside. Maybe someone will have put up something new,” (name) muttered to themself. They headed outside of the classroom, down to the end of the second year hallway where the bulletin board was hung up. Dozens of flyers advertising clubs were pinned up, every last inch of space crammed with colorful paper. (name)’s eyes scanned the board.

“Chess, yearbook, baseball, swimming, music, occult...” (name)’s voice trailed off and they sighed. The posters on the bulletin board were the same ones that were there the day before and, once again, nothing seemed appealing. (name) continued staring at the board, arms crossed. As they turned to go back to their classroom, their eyes were caught by a paper posted in the corner of the board. 

“Huh, I don’t think I’ve seen that one before,” (name) mumbled, squinting and taking a closer look at the paper. 

“Volleyball club looking for a manager.” (name) thought for a minute. They knew Shiratorizawa’s volleyball team was a big deal because everyone was constantly talking about them. (name) had been to one of their games in the fall of their first year of highschool, though, not that interested in sports, they didn’t really remember much about it. They did remember that one of their classmates from the year before, who was their classmate this year again, was on the team. Everyone had always crowded around him the day after games to congratulate him or fawn over the team. 

Even though (name) wasn’t the biggest sports fan, managing the team seemed like an interesting prospect. The team travelled constantly which would be a good chance to visit new places and skip a bit of school, plus being a manager sounded more fun than learning how to do calligraphy. 

(name) walked back to their classroom, seeing that a clock on the wall indicated that lunch break was a couple minutes from being over. Their eyes settled on Shirabu Kenjirou, who was seated by the window. They thought for a minute about whether or not they should ask about the volleyball club, but decided to just go for it.

“Hey, Shirabu,” (name) called. He looked up, seeming slightly surprised to be talked to. 

“The volleyball team is looking for a manager, right?” Shirabu nodded in response.

“Do you know someone who might be interested?” he asked.

“No one’s applied yet?” (name) said. Shirabu shook his head no.

“A couple members recently decided that a manager would be helpful, so we’ve just started looking. Our coach didn’t really agree with the idea so he gave us only until the end of the week to find someone,” he responded.

“In that case, I’d be interested, I think. I mean, I’m not really sure what managing a team involves but I’d be willing to figure it out.” Shirabu frowned.  
“You haven’t already joined a club? That’s strange.” (name)’s face warmed slightly.

“No, no, I was in a club last year. I just didn’t like it very much so I’ve wanted to switch to something else,” they responded. Shirabu shrugged in response.

“If you come to the volleyball gym after school, you can talk to our captain about it,” he said. (name) nodded in response, before going back to their desk to get ready for class.


	2. Chapter 2

After school, (name) headed to the volleyball gym, slightly nervous. They knew who the captain of the team was because people constantly talked about him - Ushijima Wakatoshi, an apparent volleyball prodigy who was nearly 190cm and the pride of the school. His reputation slightly intimidated (name), but they decided, nonetheless, that there would be no harm in asking.   
(name) pulled open the gym’s door, surprised to see only Ushijima and another boy there. They assumed that everyone else was changing out of their school uniforms, but was kind of glad. The two in the gym already seemed intimidating enough by themselves. The boy standing next to Ushijima glanced over at the door, his eyes widening.

“Who do we have here??” he asked eagerly, walking over to (name). 

“Oh, hey,” (name) said, their voice edged with nervousness. “I just heard that the volleyball team was looking for a manager?”

“Yes, yes, we are!” he exclaimed. He looked back at Ushijima, calling, “See Wakatoshi, I told you we’d find someone!”. He turned back to (name), grinning.

“I’m Tendou Satori! Are you a first year? What’s your name?” (name) was a bit taken aback by his excitement, but it helped melt away some of their nerves. 

“I’m (name) and no, I’m a second year. I know it’s a bit strange I’m looking for a new club but I didn’t really like my old one,” (name) added quickly. 

“No, no, that’s okay! I’m just glad we have someone. I’ve seen a bunch of other teams with managers and I wanted one too but I couldn’t convince anyone to agree with me until this year.” He glanced back at Ushijima, muttering, “Wakatoshi thinks it’s a waste but I felt like a cute face would really help our team out, you know?” (name) laughed quietly, amused by Tendou and grateful that he was already making them feel comfortable.

“The rest of the team should be coming in soon. I can introduce you if you want!” Tendou offered.

“Shouldn’t I put in an application or something first? Or talk to your coach?” Tendou laughed in response, waving his hand as if to brush that idea away.

“Don’t worry about it! I think you’d be a good manager and I bet I could get Wakatoshi to agree with me. Our coach is pretty strict but as long as we’re still practicing hard and winning games, I don’t think he would mind.” 

“Oh, well, if you’re sure then,” (name) responded, feeling slightly on edge about meeting the rest of the team so soon. 

As if on cue, the gym doors swung open and a stream of boys, all of them tall and most of them stocky and well built, walked in. (name) watched them walk in and met eyes with Shirabu, who was near the back of the group and talking to (or rather, being talked to by) a boy with dark hair. He nodded at (name) before looking back at the boy who was talking to him. (name) shifted awkwardly, suddenly aware that most of the boys who had just walked in were looking at them curiously. 

“Everyone, meet our new manager, (name)!” Tendou announced, slinging an arm around (name)’s shoulders. (name) gave a small smile and wave at the rest of the team.

“A manager? Have you asked Coach Washijou about if they’re approved?” one of the boys asked.

“Aw, Goshiki, don’t be a buzzkill. I’m sure Coach won’t mind, especially since our captain said it’s okay!” The boy who had originally asked the question, Goshiki, frowned, looking a bit skeptical, as if he didn’t believe that Ushijima had actually signed off on this (though, of course, he hadn’t), but he remained silent. Tendou turned back to (name), gently pushing them forward

“Go on, tell them a bit about yourself,” Tendou said. (name)’s face warmed slightly, not expecting to have to talk about themselves so suddenly. 

“Uh, well, I’m (name) and I’m a second year,” (name) stammered. “I, uh, don’t really know a lot about volleyball but I’d like to learn and I hope I can be a good manager for you all.” They bowed slightly then looked over at Tendou.

“Great!” he beamed, clapping his hands together. Ushijima walked over from where he had been standing. 

“(name), help set up the nets please. I think we should start practice before it gets too late,” he said. 

“Oh, alright,” they nodded. They still felt a bit out of place, especially since they hadn’t been able to learn everyone’s names yet, but they were a bit eased by the fact that Tendou and Ushijima had accepted their presence so readily.

As they helped set up the gym for practice, several of the members interrupted their stretching to introduce themselves. While the team practiced, (name) scribbled on a pad of paper, noting things like names, positions, volleyball rules, and basically anything anyone said that they thought would be important. Starting as a manager seemed to be a bit more difficult than (name) anticipated (plus, introducing themselves to Coach Washijou was terrifying because, even though he was short, his mere presence was more intimidating than the entire volleyball team combined), but it also already felt like (name) had made the right decision in switching clubs.


	5. Chapter 5

“Wakatoshi!” Tendou called, running after him. Ushijima paused and looked back, giving him a couple seconds to catch up.

“So, what do you think of our new manager? I told you we’d find someone!” he said excitedly.

“I’m still not sure why you find one to be so necessary, but they seem fine for the role. I expected someone who was a bit more interested in volleyball but I suppose it’s alright,” Ushijima responded. 

“Awww, aren’t you excited about it though? A manager is just one more reason to do even better!”

“I don’t think I need another reason to do better. We’re already the best team in the prefecture and winning nationals is enough motivation for me.”

“Always so cool about everything, huh Wakatoshi?” Tendou laughed. “Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, they kinda look like this one character in a show I was watching…” Tendou continued rambling on and Ushijima listened, nodding when appropriate, but in his head, he was thinking more about the manager than he had let on. It wasn’t that he was _interested_ in them or anything. Intrigued would probably be a better word, though he was a bit miffed that, even though they attended a volleyball powerhouse like Shiratorizawa, they didn’t seem that invested in the sport. 

Ushijima turned to look at Tendou, his mouth opening as if he was about to say something. Tendou paused and raised his eyebrows.

“What is it?” he questioned.

“What do you think of them? The new manager?” Ushijima asked tentatively. Tendou’s face broke out into a grin.

“See, I knew you liked them!” he said. Ushijima frowned.

“I never said that,” he responded. Tendou laughed, ignoring his comment.

“I like them! They seem nice, plus it’s kind of fun to have someone who doesn’t know much about volleyball around. During practice whenever I’d stop to talk to them they’d ask me questions about what we were doing or volleyball rules and it totally made me feel like a pro or something! Although, I guess you already know what that feels like,” Tendou teased. 

“You like that they don’t know about volleyball?” Ushijima asked. 

“Well I mean, I’d probably like it if they did too! I don’t think it makes a difference for me because if they did then I could talk to them about playing but since they don’t, I can still talk about playing, just in a different way. Plus, they seemed really interested and kept taking notes and writing things down in a little notebook. It was super charming really!” Ushijima nodded.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he murmured. 

“Of course you hadn’t! All you think about during practice is playing volleyball anyways.” Tendou’s eyes lit up. “You should teach (name) how to play! Learning from one of the best players in the whole country, I bet they’d get really good!”

“Why would they need to be good at volleyball? They’re just our manager.”

“Don’t you think it would be fun to show up to practice matches and show the other teams that Shiratorizawa is so good even our _manager_ could outplay them?” Ushijima chuckled in response to that. 

“Maybe if they ask, I will,” he said, leaving it at that.

“I’ll get them to ask! It would be the best to show off a cute manager who also happens to be a volleyball star to other teams,” Tendou said excitedly. Ushijima shook his head, smiling.

“You’re a bit strange sometimes, Tendou.”


End file.
